CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Chambersburg Borough Council on Monday voted to raise rates on natural gas service for the first time in 14 years, an increase that will go into effect after the worst of the winter weather has passed.
The increase will not reflect the frequent fluctuations in the cost of natural gas, which the borough buys wholesale to resell to its approximately 5,000 customers, Borough Manager Eric Oyer said. Instead, the rate increase of 7.5 percent will be for operating and improving the system, as well as continued transfers from the department to the borough's general fund.
Since the early 1990s, the borough has spent $4 million replacing eight miles of decades-old cast iron gas pipes with plastic ones, Oyer said.
"If we're going to continue to improve the system, this absolutely has to be done," Oyer said.
The 7.5 percent increase translates to about a $7.30 a month increase for a residential customer, Oyer said. The average monthly gas bill is now about $88, he said.
